Students weigh in on the new parking lot

Kean started off the fall semester by opening access to a new parking lot located at the former Merck site. Parking struggles are not foreign to commuters of Kean University.

The parking lot features 500 new parking spots for students and faculty alike. With a valid Kean ID and Parking decal, commuters can get into the parking lot through a security checkpoint.

Map with directions to the new parking lot. Credit: Kean University

In order to get to the parking lot, commuters should use the entrance located at the intersection of Morris Avenue and Green Lane.

According to two students, Christina Temple and Gabriel Tirado, the lot is a bit far from the main campus with walking times of 10 to 15 minutes to most buildings.

“It takes 15 minutes to get to class,” said Temple, a junior sociology major. “It has relieved the strain of parking, but it is not convenient.”

She also noted that the parking lot spaces are a bit bigger compared to the others located on Kean’s campus.

In addition, she said that a trolley stop for the lot or even an opening in the fence would be a great help so that she could get to her destination faster. As it stands there is only one entry and exit point for the parking lot.

“Different options are being discussed to bring the trolley to the new parking lot,” said Director of Media Relations Margaret McCorry. “For now, the trolley route has not been altered.”

The lot has a lot of space for commuters finding trouble parking. Credit: Cody Louie

Tirado, a senior communication major had a similar issue with the lot. He said that he doesn’t like walking that far in order to get to his classes.

However, he said “it is going to be my primary lot [and] it has definitely helped with parking problems.”

The parking lot and 14 acres of the surrounding area are owned by Kean University so the lot abides by the same guidelines as all of Kean’s other parking lots. The guidelines can be found at http://www.kean.edu/parking